Florentina's Ristorante

 My husband won a 10.00 gift certificate to this Italian place so we decided to try it. We went on a weekend in the evening and it was lined all the way out the door, so we gave up and tried again today for lunch. It was about 2pm. so very few people. Now when it comes to decor, this place has it going on. You really feel like your walking into some Tuscan village or something. Beautiful hand painted artwork on the walls, running water fountains, grapes and vines hanging from trellises on the ceiling...plus much more. It really is a beautiful place.
 We were asked if we wanted a table or booth and due to the smallness of the booths, we went with a table. Now I have to say the chairs could have been more comfortable. They were simple wood chairs with no padding at all. The booths were just a wooden bench that resembled a church pew. That said, they were at least sturdy. Each table has a bottle of olive oil on and they quickly come to take drink orders and serve a small loaf of bread and a dipping plate. I'm not sure what was in it, but it was oil, some kind of dark vinegar and herbs. I really didn't care for it, but my husband liked it. The bread was ok, but very hard. It was more akin to a french bread. You really had to soak it in the sauce to eat it easy. I guess I am spoiled with Olive Garden when it comes to the bread.
  Ok, so to the menu. We were there in time for the lunch menu and could order from it or the dinner one. After looking at prices, we went with the lunch one. There were only a few choices of entrees on the lunch menu. I believe there are 6 things to choose from plus several kinds of oven fired pizza. I ordered the RIGATONI FLORENTINA
(Grilled chicken, mushrooms, onions, broccoli, artichoke hearts, sundried tomatoes, fresh basil, capers, kalamata olives and garlic - all sauted in olive oil, with rigatoni, tossed in a tomato cream sauce and finished with our house cheese blend.) Jerry had the Chicken Parmesan. They were both 8.99 and did not come with soup or salad which was very disappointing. The price for the same entree at dinner was twenty something. The dinner prices in general were in the twenty range. It's what I would consider a very high dollar restaurant. I wasn't impressed. I am very glad I didn't spend more than I did because it tasted very odd. NOW, I am not saying that the next person might not love it. It was very well cooked. There was just too many flavors fighting to control the dish. None of it blended very well together and sauce tasted like a vodka sauce even thought it said it was supposed to have a tomato cream sauce. I have never liked vodka based sauces so that was part of the problem. Jerry didn't care much for his chicken parm. either. It didn't even look appetizing. Kinda like a heated tv dinner version is what it looked like. On the positive side he said it was real chicken breast and not a patty version. The sauce, however, was like pure tomato paste. It was thick and very lacking in spices. It really looked and tasted like someone opened a can of tomato paste, heated it and put it on. So all in all the food was really not that great for the prices they charge. 

 I feel bad for leaving a bad review as I know this place is very popular here. As I have said before, this is just our experience and yours may be a great one. If you have the money, give it a try and hope that your like it better than we did. 

Vasken's Deli The Return

Well, I have blogged about Vasken's before but I felt I needed to update. About a year ago they moved to a new location at 3200 Gretna Road Suite 100. The building is much larger and can accommodate more people. I can't say I like the new building anywhere near as much as the old one. It just doesn't have that old world charm that the first place had. We went there shortly after they opened in the new location and the food wasn't really all that great so we hadn't gone back until today. Long story short we decided to give it a try as I craved the taste of their food and was really hoping they had gotten back in the swing of things. I am very glad that we did!  The food was excellent and every bit as exceptional as I had hoped. I didn't get a lot into the actual food the last time as I was stuck on the decor. The decorations here, as I said, leave something to be desired, but go for the food. 
 My husband ordered a Gyro and I got the Rosa's Mediterranean turkey. The meat is delicious but it's really the sauces and toppings that set them apart from anything I have ever tasted. Mine had a garlic mayonnaise and this olive salad stuff they make there themselves. It is really difficult to explain in terms of taste, because there just isn't anything like it. It has green olives and spices, but it is not overpowering at all. I don't care for raw veggies on sandwiches but this had green peppers, onions, tomatoes and lettus. They don't just toss on veggies. They chop them small and then marinade them in something. I have no clue what, but I could have eaten a whole salad of it. All of the flavors marry together so well that your taste buds start dancing. They wrap it all in a soft pita bread. Not sure if they make it there or not but it is super soft and out of this world. One bite and I was yumming!! They aren't small either. I was hungry, but it totally filled me up.  I tasted my husbands gyro meat and was shocked that it was so good. I had never tasted anything like it before and really liked it. I may try it the next time I go. I am going to include the link to their website so you can go check out their menu for yourself. And don't worry if you don't like something that is on a sandwich. they are very accommodating and don't mind adding something or taking something away. 
  You get to choose a side as well from several things. We both got the pasta salad. It comes in a small container and at first your like...wait...that's all there is? But it's really good and rich and is all you need. Trust me, you will be more into the sandwich! They have pizza too and all kinds of deserts like baklava. I haven't tried those yet! If you go and try something new, please post here. I would love to see your reviews as well. 
 Now for the last part of this place. It sells all kinds of foods from foreign lands. CHEAP! I'm serious....Huge things of imported olive oil for under 10.00....and many many other things. I got a huge sleeve of cookies from Holland to take the kids since they didn't happen to be with us. They cost 2.99 and there were about 25 in it. I figured they would be stale or taste gross, but surprisingly they were really good. Deep chocolate flavor in every bite! They have rice, chocolates, candies, spices etc. Even a hookah! 
 At any rate, even if the decor is less than spectacular, the food MORE than makes up for it. If your wanting to send your taste buds on an adventure, then this is a great stop! Visit their website and facebook page to learn more!
http://www.vaskensdeli.com/locations/

(Please note that these photos are not my property. They are web photo's and photo's from the Vaskins website.) 

Lamberts

Ok, so I know this isn't exactly IN Branson, but it's such a short drive, and it is totally worth the gas money! The restaurant is located in Ozark about a half an hour from Branson up 65 highway north. The restaurant itself has some pretty eclectic décor. All kinds of flags hang from the ceiling from state flags, to countries. There are pictures and licence plates adorning the walls, and even a miniature train that runs around and entertains the kids. There are all sorts of fun things to see when you visit, so I will leave that up to you!
 To start you off they bring out your drink in a big mug. 
Or if you order coffee it comes in a smaller version. These are great because you don't have to worry about refills every five min.! Then you have to order your main meal. Yes, I said the "main" meal but I'll get into the rest in a moment. Your meal consists of an entree and a couple of sides. This is down home country cooking. My husband got the chicken fried steak and it came in a skillet and was HUGE! 
 There is everything from meatloaf to fried chicken and plenty in between. The sides are pretty nice too. You can go with veggies or potatoes along with some more off the wall choices like cucumbers and onions. Now, I mentioned something other than your main meal. They call them pass arounds! The servers come around randomly with huge pots of fried okra, fried potatoes, tomatoes and macaroni, black eyed peas and more.
 Now as good as that all is, that isn't what keeps people coming time and time again or spending hours in line just to get in. They come for the throwed rolls!!! They make the most delicious rolls you can imagine and they pull them right out of the oven and wheel them onto the floor. If you are ready for a roll you just hold up your hands and the very talented roll servers will toss them to you! They don't walk by and hand them out, no, they launch them to you! This makes for some really fun dining. Sometimes they miss and smack the floor, or they hit something and bounce onto the wrong table. On our last visit the guy tossed a roll to my daughter but it hit a flag on its way and konked me in the head! Of course everyone laughed, but that is half of the fun of this place! If your mama taught you not to play with your food, then don't bring her here! Oh, I almost forgot one very important part. Sorghum Molasses for your rolls! This stuff is sinful. Somewhere between honey and molasses. It's delicious so don't miss out on this delicacy.
 
  Now some might worry that this will cost a fortune. I find that you can figure around 15.00 a person by the time you add in a drink. Most of the meals are around 12.-- some higher, some lower. So while it sure isn't McDonalds value menu, your getting what you pay for! This isn't just a place to eat. It's really dinner and show too. So if your visiting Branson on your vacation, do your family a favor and make this short drive. You won't regret it!
(Please note that these are stock photos and I do not own the rights to them. Thank you!)

Cracker Barrel

This was our first time at the Cracker Barrel in Branson, located at the west end of the strip. I have been to them before in other towns, but not this one.
 The neat thing about this restaurant is that is has a shop in the front. You can get fun toys for the kids (or even yourself) along with neat novelties, clothes, and candy! They sell unique candies from the early days like chuckles and clove gum! At any rate, you can shop around if you like or head on into the dining area.
 The dining area is large with plenty of seating, even for groups. Decorated with old photographs, antiques and metal signs, its really neat. The chairs are wooden, but sturdy and don't have arms to them so anyone can have a comfortable evening. There are fun old time peg games on the tables to keep you entertained while you wait and oil lamps burning on each table for a romantic dining experience. But enough about all that, ON TO THE FOOD!!
 You get two menus in the evening and one in the morning. You can choose between breakfast , which is served all day, and lunch or dinner. They have lunch specials and dinner specials. The food is what I would call good downhome country cookin. Fried okra, chicken n dumplins, fresh biscuts, country ham, grits, cheesy hash browns, buttermilk dipped fried chicken, and the list goes on. Most entrees come with your choice of 2 or 3 sides. You get a LOT of everything and if you leave there hungry, then you didn't try. They have a kids menu, and even a low calorie menu. I got buttermilk battered shrimp w/ hushpuppies, dumplins (the side version is just the dumplins minus the chicken), fried okra and steamed broccoli. It came with a biscut and cornbread. I ate about half and was so stuffed I waddled out. Everything is seasoned perfectly, cooked to order and always fresh and hot. No complaints here at all! My friend got a "house salad" and was expecting a small bowl of lettus with a few tomatoes. This large bowl came topped with all kinds of stuff. It looked like a chef salad. He was impressed.
 Now on to price. As you know most places in Branson are going to cost you quite a bit to eat there. This is actually one of the cheaper places to eat. The entrees range in price from 7-10 with a few being a bit higher. Most fall around the 8-9 range. The shrimp dinner was 10. Were not talking five or six shrimp, there was a good half pound on that plate! You get your moneys worth, trust me. If I had to find a complaint, it would be the service. It wasn't bad so don't get me wrong, but they seemed hurried and you had to catch one to get refills. Otherwise they were fine. At any rate, you can't go wrong here. Kids love it for the fun, adults love it for the food and price and seniors love it for the nostalgia.
 Here is the official cracker barrel website http://www.crackerbarrel.com/restaurant/ . You can find tons of info on the restaurant as well as view a menu ahead of time! Happy eating!
 (Please note, I do not own the photos or website.)